BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
PHARR — Sharyland Pioneer sophomore Daizy Monie and PSJA Southwest senior Diego Treviño did not wake up thinking about breaking records at Wednesday’s 31/32-5A area meet, but that’s exactly what both throwers were able to accomplish.
Monie and Treviño each won the shot put and discus competitions. Monie outpaced the rest of the field in the discus (140 feet, 3 inches), and she set an area round record in the shot put. Her throw of 41-3 was nearly a foot and a half longer than Mission Veterans junior Charlee Salinas (39-10.5).
Joining Monie and Salinas in the shot put at next week’s regional meet in San Antonio are Edcouch-Elsa’s Mackenzie Contreras (39-5) and Rio Grande City’s Iesha Garcia (34-7.5).
“I’ve been practicing all year,” Monie said. “I’ve been lifting and doing what I need to do. Whenever I come to these track meets, I try to relax and focus and put it all in God’s hands. I tend to fall under pressure, so if I’m thinking about everyone else instead of thinking about myself, it can turn into a bad track meet. I have to stay focused on myself so I can have a good meet.”
Bobby Olvera, Monie’s throwing coach, believed she was locked in from the very beginning of the day.
“There’s been a big difference between her last year and this year,” Olvera said. “Even though she threw last year, there were still some things that were new to her. She was in a situation where she needed someone to help her in the middle of the competition. This year, she’s different in that she can go into the ring and she herself can fix her mistakes. That’s a sign of maturity and her hard work and determination to be better.”
This year’s UIL Region IV meet begins April 26 and will be held at Heroes Stadium in Northeast San Antonio, as opposed to the centrally located Alamo Stadium in San Antonio.
Monie competed at Alamo Stadium in 2018.
“In a thrower’s mind, it (a venue change) could affect them,” Olvera said. “My job is to make her (Monie) as comfortable as possible at the new venue. Luckily, I’ve been to Heroes Stadium before. Because of all the cement around, it can be a very hot place. We have to prepare to keep her cool and in the shade. Hopefully, we’ll throw in the morning, so I think that’ll help too.”
“I like new things and the chance to throw at a new ring,” Monie added. “I know that the ring is the same size. I’m just going to go out there and do what I know how to do. I’m going to have a lot of lifting sessions and a lot of work on technique. I just hope it will show at regionals.”
Treviño, a University of Oklahoma signee, etched his name into the history books with a discus throw that went a personal-best 172 feet. Treviño and his throwing coach, Eloy Garza, were jubilant when the official distance was announced.
“The objective has always been to get him to peak in time for state,” Garza said. “We’re still working some things out in the shot put, but this has still been a great year for him. He’s transitioned from not only being talented in the shot put, but also performing in the discus. Most people watching the two events might think they’re the same, but they’re very different. For Diego to have the ability to learn the discus technique better, it shows the caliber of athlete that he is.”
Treviño said his turnaround in the discus begin at the start of the track season.
“Before my senior year, I never had a good throwing method with the disk,” Treviño said. “I had to figure out why, so I switched up my technique at the beginning of the year. I started non-reversing my release, which kept my feet on the ground. It allowed to be more patient and have more time with the discus. The longer you have the discus in your hand, the farther it will go.”
Treviño’s 172-foot throw eclipsed the area round record that previously belonged to Brownsville Veterans alum Andres Bodden, who is now a thrower at the University of Texas. Bodden won the 2017 31/32-5A area meet with a discus throw of 167-4.
Brownsville Pace’s Jose Quintero (170-7), Sharyland High’s Brandon Mireles (162-8) and Mission Veterans’ Alex Galvan (156-7) punched their tickets to the regional meet, as well.
A PHOTO FINISH
The first race of the meet was one of the most heart-stopping from the day’s action. Sharyland High junior Ana Hernandez (11 minutes, 56.56 seconds) edged out Mercedes senior Soledad Cruz (11:56.57) by one one-hundredth of a second in the girls’ 3200-meter run.
In addition to Hernandez, Sharyland High was represented in the top four regional qualifiers by freshman Danielle Salinas (12:01.49) and junior Andrea Gallardo (12:02.79).
“We wanted to go one-two-three, but we were a little off,” Sharyland High girls track coach Melissa Dearth said. “We had Ana, who was sick this week, and I think that’s why she was a little bit conservative to take a big lead. Our other two runners go based on how she leads.”
WILLIAMS MAKES A WAY
PSJA Memorial senior Cruz Gomez heard the final lap flare and cruised to another gold medal in the 3200-meter run. Gomez (9:49.07) was joined as a regional qualifier with sophomore Williams Macias, who took second place (9:52.22).
“I see myself in him (Macias),” Gomez said. “I was like him. I was all about soccer and running came after that, but I told him that his talent is running. This guy is really talented and I’m really proud of him.”
“Williams had just started running with us last week,” PSJA Memorial boys track coach Lee Roy Perez said. “God blessed him with a lot of talent. We’ll see how he does at regionals.”